19 April 2016

"There is no longer dispute among serious scientists that humans aren’t the only animals who have the capacity to suffer physically and mentally. Elephants, great apes, orcas, dogs, cats, and many other animals can experience depression, anxiety, and compulsive disorders. In a study first published in 2011, my colleagues and I showed how chimpanzees used in the biomedical and entertainment industries suffered from PTSD and other mental disorders—much like the psychiatric conditions I’ve documented in human torture survivors." Dr. Hope Ferdowsian, Human Rights Physician.

In "Why Justice for Animals Is the Social Movement of Our Time," recently published in Psychology Today, Dr. Ferdowsian argues that human and animal rights are not mutually exclusive. Quite the contrary, they can be mutually reinforcing because "there is common ground occupied by those working on behalf of people and animals—both because of the shared potential for suffering and because many solutions to successfully combat domination, violence, and abuse are universal."